Here's a recipe! And a bonus recipe!

I think it's stopped snowing. School is out early, gym plans are shot, but we're hopefully in for the night, and working on getting cozy.
What a perfect time to try out an inventive new recipe sure to make your tum warm and happy, while you're stuck inside with your family. No one will go on a murderous, cabin fever induced rampage with THESE babies down the ol' gullet.

This first recipe is one I picked from Jamie Oliver, the naked chef (www.jamieoliver.com). His book, "Happy Days", was an amazing find at my local Salvation Armani. If you can score a copy, please do so. The pictures are rather glossy, and he does look a bit silly in some shots, but the recipes are solid. He writes like someone who is monologing on a cooking show, which is quite charming. My book is stained and dog-eared already. So, without further adieu, give it up for HAMILTON SQUASH!


Hamilton Squash


1 small handful of dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 butternut squash, halved and seeds removed
• olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, pounded
• a pinch or two of dried chilli, to taste
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
• 5 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 100g basmati rice
• ½ a handful of pinenuts, lightly roasted

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Soak porcini mushrooms in boiling water; after 5 minutes, drain and reserve porcini plus half of liquid.

Slice the squash in half, and score it. De-seed and remove the flesh, give it a rough chop, and set aside.

Heat olive oil in sauté pan over medium-high heat, and saute onions for approx. five minutes, until they are soft.

Add squashy innards, garlic, coriander seeds, red pepper flakes, rosemary and sun-dried tomatoes. Sauté until softened, 5 minutes.

Add porcini (or b.p., if using) and half of the cooking water; sauté another 2 minutes.

Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Stir in rice and pine nuts. Stuff mixture into butternut squash halves, then press squash together into original shape. Rub outside of squash with a little olive oil. Wrap stuffed squash in aluminum foil. Bake at 450 degrees 1 hour and 15 minutes. Carefully unwrap squash and serve.

Makes 4 servings.


A few notes from yer blog girl - I had no porcini mushrooms, but baby portabellos worked just fine for me. I upped the garlic a bit, because that's how I roll, and used a mixture of basmati and short grain brown rice as filler. The tricky part was keeping the squash together for the presentation. The olive oil made it hard to handle, I'm not above jamming a couple of toothpicks through it in order to achieve the "ooh, ahh" effect next time, so feel free to try that. When next I make it, I'll post pictures.
Enjoy!





RECIPE TWO. Hot Milk.

One day, I will get around to naming this recipe something cool, like Cup o' Canada, or the Steaming Meanie. Until then, Hot Milk it is.
This is something that I made up, in that "thousands of people make this very same thing, but I don't know any of them, so HEY! Look how creative I am", kind of way. (Is there a word for that?)
I'm a big tea drinker, but once in a while I get an urge for something not so...thin. Even if you put milk in it, tea is just deliciously trumped up hot water. And when I wanted a change, I used to reach for hot chocolate. Now that I'm off caffeine though, that's also out. I rooted thru the fridge the other day, and this is what I came up with. It's so damned good. It's a great alternative to hot chocolate. And it takes five minutes.


You Will Need:

Milk, however much you want. I use the mug I'll be pouring into as a measuring cup. Be sure to leave a little room at the top, as a) You'll be adding other things, and b) Milk expands when heated. For the sake of the rest of the measurements, we're assuming 8oz.

1 tsp good maple syrup
1 cap full (if you've got one of those small brown bottles) or 4 drops vanilla extract (if you've got a big ol' squeeze bottle).
Cinnamon to taste
Nutmeg, for garnish


Add milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract to saucepan, flame on low.
Add cin now, it'll hang out on the surface, infusing things.
Stir pretty occasionally to avoid skin.
When the milk is hot, but not boiling, pour into glass, garnish with nutmeg, and enjoy!

NOTES: If you think a tsp of maple doesn't sound like much, taste as you go along. A little bit of maple goes a long way, but who am I to stop you if you wanna sweeten the pot even more?